Friday Feature: Yes or No?

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you might know that I've dubbed 2018 my Year of No. I have a slight (?!) tendency to overcommit and, while I think it's pretty deeply ingrained and not entirely undesirable, as I moved from 2017 into 2018, I felt a need to be more strategic in the commitments I made.

Though those around me would disagree, I think I'm making progress. I still say "yes" to too many things, but I do so thoughtfully and, as a result, I've reduced my knee-jerk yeses dramatically. If I take something on these days, I do so only after careful consideration -- most of the time, anyway.

Last week, I came across an article I wish I'd seen earlier in the year, one that, like my own resolution, took some of its inspiration from Shonda Rhimes' book, The Year of Yes. In "Ask Yourself These Questions Before You say 'Yes' or 'No' to Anything," Lisa Evans examines good reasons to say no and good reasons to say yes. While I wasn't nearly that methodical in my approach, I absolutely identified with one of her points, which was at the heart of my personal Year of No: "Yes" people need to beware of losing sight of their goals.

Are you a "yes" person or a "no" person? Either way, Evans' article is worth a read.